I wanted to read like my mother did. She read constantly. It was her one solace in a sea of troubles that seemed to plague her worse than others. So every week, we’d go to the library, and Mom would choose stacks of books to read.
I begged her to let me check out piles of books like she did. She let me bring home one a week. When I’d read all of the kids’ biographies, I begged her to let me read a fiction book. When I was 11, she gave me a book and said, “OK, if you read this, then I’ll know you are ready to read fiction.”
In His Steps
The book was, “In His Steps” by Charles Sheldon. It was written in the 1890s. It’s the story of a pastor who preaches a message about how his members should be living the way Jesus would live. He asked those who wanted to do that for the next year to meet him after church.
Several gathered and made a pact that they would live like Jesus would live if he had the same job they did. One man there was the editor of the town newspaper. By this time I had fallen in love with writing, so I was interested in what the editor would do.
A newspaper stays in existence by selling advertisements. Back in that day, the biggest thing in town was horse racing, which entailed betting on the horse races. The town newspaper stayed in business because the racetrack owners took out full page ads for all the races.
Decisions, Decisions
The editor was convicted that he shouldn’t be promoting gambling. He prayed about what to do and decided to turn down the ads. This made the racetrack owners angry. They convinced other advertisers to boycott the newspaper. The editor was losing money and going out of business.
Then a wealthy woman, who was also in the What Would Jesus Do group, prayed about what she should do. She decided God was leading her to fund the newspaper until it could get back on its feet.
As I read that book, God clearly spoke to me and told me I would one day publish a nondenominational Christian newspaper funded entirely by commercial advertising. That word was so clear to me that I told my dad.
God Will Make A Way
He didn’t burst my bubble, but he did say that things would have to change significantly for that to happen. “The only Christian newspapers being published these days are funded by denominations and share only what their denomination’s churches are doing,” he said.
I didn’t argue with him, but I did know somehow, some way God would make that happen. I went to a denominational school and majored in journalism and the Bible. I knew one day the job God promised me would appear. Meantime, I worked for secular and denominational newspapers.
One day a young man who was an ad salesman for a Christian radio station told me he was quitting his job to start a Christian newspaper. Then he dared to describe the job God had told me I would one day have. After I got over the shock of God giving my job away, I offered to help the young man.
Doing What God Said
After publishing three issues, he found he was going broke. He found a job on the East Coast and gave the publication to me and my friend. We had been helping him and both of us believed in this paper.
My friend is an excellent businesswoman and in no time we were distributing over 100,000 copies of Good News Journal throughout Missouri. When the internet pretty much squashed newspapers, we had to quit. Still, we had a good 18 years of publishing the paper God told me I would one day publish.
We never did make any money publishing Good News Journal. That wasn’t the intent. The intent was to do what Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them who bring Good News.”
I’m Wired to Read and Write
Through the years God has led me to do a lot of things, but in some way they all have to do with writing and reading. That’s who I am. That’s how I’m wired.
I started writing books in earnest in 2013, when I wrote my memoir, Sweet Grace. I’ve written 10 nonfiction books. Then, this year I wrote Rebuilding Jayne, a book God has been telling me to write for 10 years. It’s fiction, so I was a bit afraid to write it. I didn’t know where it would take me.
It has taken me right to you, my readers. God told me that this book is “Fiction that Transforms.” If you’ve read Sweet Grace, you will love Rebuilding Jayne.
Jayne Is Me
The only reason I could write this book is because I lived a lot of it. God told me when I started writing this series that Jayne is me. Well, she is a way. She’s wealthy, so that is way different from me, but the same things that used to drive me drive Jayne. She has to discover how God is the only One who can help her, just like I did.
It doesn’t matter if you are a reader or a writer, you will love this book. After you read it, do me a big favor. Write a review on Amazon. It’s the best gift anyone can give an author and it only takes a few minutes.
Here’s one of the latest reviews from a fan. “I have read ALL of Teresa’s other books. Each of her books has inspired and helped me greatly in my own journey toward weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.
“Being her first ‘fiction’ novel, I was especially excited to read Rebuilding Jayne. I ordered it in paperback but was so eager to start reading it, that I also bought it for my Kindle so I could get a jumpstart reading while waiting for my paperback copy to be delivered. Once I started reading it on Kindle. I couldn’t put it down! I have one chapter left.
“The paperback copy arrived this afternoon. It is an incredible, gripping, deeply moving story. I can see so much of myself in the character of Jayne. I can imagine that Jayne’s struggles with food addictions and weight will likely resonate with many others, as they did with me.
“Jayne’s thoughts and feelings are just like so many of my own and many other people I know who battle weight and food issues of any kind. Another slam-dunk hit by Teresa Shields Parker! I can’t wait for the sequel to Rebuilding Jayne!“
Christian Fiction Is My New Favorite Genre
To get your copy of Rebuilding Jayne, go to https://www.amazon.com/Rebuilding-Jayne-Her-Fathers-Protection-ebook/dp/B0DGXTXR53.
Let me know what you think. By the way, Book 2—Reconnecting Jayne is almost done and will be released in early 2025 or before! Then there’ll be Book 3—Renewing Jayne. Watch for announcements of all of my new books.
By the way, I have been bitten by the fiction bug! Come join me.
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster, and speaker, who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013. Her books include: “Reconnecting Jayne: Her Sister’s Support,” “Rebuilding Jayne: Her Father’s Protection,” “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor,” “Sweet Grace Study Guide,” “Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle,” “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds,” “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”, “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help,” “Sweet Freedom Study Guide,” “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation,” “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God,” and “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight.” She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP intensive coaching. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Contact her at [email protected].